Yahoo Sports With boosted purse, WM Phoenix Open field likely to be the best ever at TPC Scottsdale
As first reported by Golfweek last Tuesday, the WM Phoenix Open was named one of the PGA Tour's "elevated events" in 2023. The next day, the tournament confirmed that the purse for "The Greenest Show on Grass" will jump from $8.2 million to $20 million.
The elevated events will also feature a collection of the world's best players, which means the 2023 WM Phoenix Open will likely boast the strongest field in its history.
The Phoenix Open is one of four events that will have elevated status in 2023, but the PGA Tour intends to rotate those four each year. This will ensure that every sponsor interested in paying for elevated status would be guaranteed the best possible field every few years.
"We are obviously extremely excited and honored for the WM Phoenix Open to have an elevated purse and feature so many of the best players in the world for the 2023 PGA Tour season,” tournament chairman Pat Williams said in a statement. "We traditionally showcase top-notch fields with the world’s best players year in and year out, but this will ensure the participation of the top players in the world at the WM Phoenix Open in 2023. This is a huge win for our fans, they can know with certainty that their favorite PGA Tour players will be competing at TPC Scottsdale in February."
The 2023 tournament is scheduled for Feb. 9-12 and will have its usual 132-man field.
Charles Schwab Cup is on deck
PGA Tour Champions held the first of its three Charles Schwab Cup Playoff tournaments last week, with Steven Alker winning the Dominion Energy Charity Classic. The top 54 golfers in the Schwab points race now advance to the TimberTech Championship in two weeks at the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida.
From there, just the top 36 remaining will move on to the 72-hole season finale at Phoenix Country Club for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Nov. 10-13. Phil Mickelson won that event a year ago but is ineligible to return due to his suspension by the PGA Tour and his subsequent departure to the LIV Golf Series.
Time for Rahm to 'be dad'
Jon Rahm tied for fourth and finished three shots back of Rory McIlroy at the CJ Cup in South Carolina. The field featured 15 of the top 20 ranked golfers in the world and it'll likely mark the last time that many of the PGA Tour's best get together till the new year.
The next two events are in Bermuda and Mexico. The fall portion of the 2022-23 tour schedule then concludes with tournaments in Houston and Sea Island, Georgia, before the year closes out with two "silly season" events. Rahm indicated after the CJ Cup that golf fans might not see him for a while.
"Looking forward to some time off, I'll not touch a club for the foreseeable future," he said. "The weather forecast is great in Scottsdale, so time to be a dad and enjoy some benefits of good play, good fall and just be home and again, be dad and have a good time for a little bit."
The CJ Cup was Rahm's lone fall swing tournament. He did win in his native Spain three weeks ago. His victory in the Mexico Open at Vidanta in May qualifies him for the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, where he finished solo second a year ago.
ASU senior among Haskins finalists
The Haskins Award honors the player of the year in college men’s golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media. Arizona State senior Ryggs Johnston, is among the 20 golfers on the watch list as the fall season draws to a close.
So far this season, Johnston has a fourth-place finish at the Fighting Illini Invitational and a tie for fifth at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
Johnston and the Sun Devils, second at the NCAAs a year ago, are in Atlanta this week for the East Lake Cup, which features Texas, the team that beat ASU in the final at Grayhawk, as well as Pepperdine and Vanderbilt. In the Golfweek/Sagarin men's college golf rankings, Vanderbilt is No. 1, ASU is No. 2, Pepperdine is No. 19 and Texas is No. 25.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WM Phoenix Open to boast $20 million in prize money in 2023
